Thursday, January 03, 2008

Offensive Autism Language at "Aspies for Freedom"

On December 29 I commented on the offensive language and hypocrisy demonstrated by neurodiversity blogger Do'C at Autism Street in Offensive Language On Autism Street where he referred to Donald Trump and Jenny McCarthy as "celebrity idiots". Now another neurodiversity blogger fresh off the suppression of the Ransom Notes campaign is insulting Autism Speaks with the following caption: autism speaks are retarded.

The blogger MATTHE was quick to receive chuckles from his fellow "Aspies for Freedom":

It is funny because it is true!!! This person's views are not representative (Gareth)Please do not remove this noticeThe way of the warrior is my path.

Apparently mocking those with intellectual disabilities, by using terms used to describe them in the past as insults, is OK with the neurodiversity blogging crowd. Don't hold your breath waiting for Ari Ne'eman , Estee Klar-Wolfond, and Kristina Chew, all of whom condemned the Ransom Notes language, to express their outrage at their fellow neurodiversity bloggers derogatory mocking of the intellectually impaired. Pomposity they can do. Sincerity, genuine concern for the intellectually disabled; even those who are autistic? Not so good.

8 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Mr Doherty--as a parent reading you blog, I have to say that I find your personal stories about what you've done with Conor (like the previous post) much more interesting to read than the usual arguments against neurodiversity. You would consider my 4 year old Autistic son "high functioning" (reading, some language, precocious "splinter/borderline savant" math skills, all developed without benefit of any ABA), so I don't know if my opinion, as a parent has any weight in your world. Nevertheless, it's much more interesting to hear about Conor himself than your battle with neurodiversity/autism bloggers. He's a beautiful kid.

As for my battles with the neurodiversity bloggers those will continue as long as they obscure the realities of autism as experienced by lower functioning autistic persons, lobby against ABA and other beneficial treatments for autistic children and try to convince the world that parents should not try to cure their children's autism, and mock the intellectually disabled.

My son has some of the skills you mention in describing your son, because he has received some ABA.

My severely affected son Jack definitely needs a cure. The bottom line for me is that one day I will die and I can't be sure what will become of him. Given the autism prevents him from communicating, the door is wide open for abuse, etc. This prospect alone frightens me. I don't want that for him. I want him to be able to communicate. A cure for autism would allow that.

That is just one of many reasons that I will work for the cure as long as I'm able...If there are those on the spectrum who don't want to take advantage of that cure, then that is certainly their prerogative.

I thought you might find the following of interest. In my New Years house cleaning/sorting/organizing I came across a paper titled "Watch Your Language" by Francis Strong. It lists & explains "negative words" and suggests alternatives. I agree with most, but not all, of his suggestions. "Idiot" made the list. - "Moron, imbecile, idiot - Although these are recognized medical terms, they are also very stigmatizing labels to attach to a person. Instead say - mental disability, mentally disabled, mildly, severely."Here's the rest of his list of his negative words:Cripple, crippledCerebral palsied, spinal cord injuredPatientVictimDefective, deformed, vegetableRetardedDeaf & dumbBlind as a batRestricted to, confined to - a wheelchair or crutchesHealthy (when used to contrast to "disabled")Normal (when used as the opposite of "disabled")Disease (unless referring to an actual disease) Afflicted with, suffering fromHomebound

"Francis Strong is a spokeswoman for the rights and dignity of people with disabilities. She is severely disabled and has been a full-time wheelchair user for over 25 years, since polio at age 14"

I'm part of the neurodiversity movement, and when we talk about "Autism Speaks", we are NOT referring to Autistic people with intellectual impairments, but to the organization itself. "Autism Speaks" is an organization founded by Neurotypicals: i.e. doctors, researchers and parents of autistic chilren, who like to speak for us, instead of letting us speak for ourselves.Also "retarded" is just slang for "stupid", it does not mean intellectually impaired.A lot of us do not care about politically correct terminology, because we just hate to be patronized like that, kay?

Parents, whether you like it or not, do speak for their autistic children when their children are unable to speak for themselves. My son can not speak for himself in these discussions. I speak for him, YOU do not.

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The effectiveness of ABA-based intervention in ASDs has been well documented through 5 decades of research by using single-subject methodology21,25,27,28 and in controlled studies of comprehensive early intensive behavioral intervention programs in university and community settings.29–40 Children who receive early intensive behavioral treatment have been shown to make substantial, sustained gains in IQ, language, academic performance, and adaptive behavior as well as some measures of social behavior, and their outcomes have been significantly better than those of children in control groups.31–4American Academy of Pediatrics, Management of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

"We have to look also at environmental factors, and from my point of view, the interaction between the genetic factors and the environmental factors ... It looks like some shared environmental factors play a role in autism, and the study really points toward factors that are early in life that affect the development of the child"
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Even Out Environmental and Genetic Autism Research Funding

Right now, about 10 to 20 times more research dollars are spent on studies of the genetic causes of autism than on environmental ones.

We need to even out the funding.

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Today I pledge to continue;I Pledge to continue to fight for the availability of effective autism treatments;I Pledge to continue to fight for a real education for autistic children;I Pledge to continue to fight for decent residential care for autistic adults;I Pledge to continue to fight for a cure for autism;I Pledge to continue finding joy in my son but not in the autism disorder that restricts his life;Today, and every day, I Pledge to continue to hope for a better life for Conor and others with autism, through accommodation, care, respect, treatment, and some day, a cure;Today, and every day, I Pledge to continue to fight for the best possible life for Conor, my son with autistic disorder.

Dr. Jon Poling : Blinders Won’t Reduce Autism

"Fortunately, the ‘better diagnosis’ myth has been soundly debunked. ... only a smaller percentage of this staggering rise can be explained by means other than a true increase.

Because purely genetic diseases do not rise precipitously, the corollary to a true autism increase is clear — genes only load the gun and it is the environment that pulls the trigger. Autism is best redefined as an environmental disease with genetic susceptibilities."

We should be investing our research dollars into discovering environmental factors that we can change, not more poorly targeted genetic studies that offer no hope of early intervention. Pesticides, mercury, aluminum, several drugs, dietary factors, infectious agents and yes — vaccines — are all in the research agenda.

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It's NOT About ME

I am the father of two sons one of whom is severely autistic with intellectual disability. I have advocated for autism services for autistic children, students and adults in New Brunswick, Canada and I blog and comment about autism on the world wide web. And I like to walk .. a lot.